SPJ: Madison Chapter Meeting Minutes from April 2012

The SPJ Madison Chapter met on April 2012.

View a PDF of the meeting minutes.

SPJ Madison congratulates Wisconsin students for “Mark of Excellence” awards

SPJ-Madison Pro chapter is proud to announce the winners of the Region 6 Mark of Excellence Award. The Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best collegiate journalism in the U.S.

Awards were handed out at the Midwest Journalism Conference in Bloomington, MN on Friday, March 31. SPJ Region 6 includes Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. This year, the contest received more than 4,000 entries across SPJ’s 12 regions.

First-place regional winners will advance to the national round of judging. National winners will be announced in late April.

Among the winners from Wisconsin four-year universities were:
Best Student Magazine
• First Place: Curb Magazine, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Breaking News Photography
• First Place: Stabbings, arrest March 2011 block party – by Ben Pierson, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Non-Fiction Magazine Article
• First Place: Breathing new life into rural Wisconsin – by Valerie Klessig, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Second Place: Finding independence in Green Bay – by Kayla Jensen, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: The Marquette Tribune, Marquette University
• Second Place: The Spectator, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: SA president resigns amid scandal – by John Parnon and Zach Brooke, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Second Place: UW students support, protest Hu Jintao visit – by Kathryn Weenig and Kayla Johnson, University of Wisconsin-Madison
In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: SA official admits to newspaper theft, implicates former President Kostal – by Steve Garrison and Zachary Brooke, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Best All-Around Television Newscast
• First Place: UWM PantherVision, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

For a complete list of the winners go to: http://spj.org/news.asp?ref=1107

Madison chapter elects officers

The Madison pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists on Monday re-elected its chapter officers. Officers are Mark Pitsch of the Wisconsin State Journal, president; Joe Radske of WKOW, vice president; and Rebecca Wasieleski of Cygnus Business Media, secretary-treasurer.

They will serve one-year terms. The next elections will be held in April 2013.

SPJ Hosts Madison School Board Forum

Here is media coverage of the Madison School Board forum hosted by SPJ:

Find WKOW’s report here.

Read the Wisconsin State Journal story here.

Wisconsin Legislature receives “Black Hole” award

The Society of Professional Journalists named the Wisconsin Legislature a recipient of its “Black Hole” Award.  The award goes to government bodies that fail to act in a transparent manner or that limit the public’s right to know.

SPJ cited the Wisconsin Legislature for hastily passing a collective bargaining law in contravention of the state’s Open Meeting Law and then successfully urging the Supreme Court to uphold the action.  The Legislature also limited public scrutiny of redistricting maps, SPJ said.

The announcement today comes during Sunshine Week, the celebration of open government and freedom of information. In Madison, the SPJ professional chapter has declared March 16 “Thank a Journalist Day.”

For more information on the Black Hole awards, go here.

SPJ President calls for renewed commitment to open government

Mark Pitsch, SPJ Madison pro chapter president, urges government agencies to commit to transparency. Read his op-ed, first printed in the March 11 Wisconsin State Journal, here.

SPJ Declares “Thank a Journalist Day” March 16; Hosts Gathering March 15

MADISON — March 16 is the 261st anniversary of the birth of James Madison, our Capital City’s namesake and the man known as the “Father of the Constitution.” Madison was instrumental in development of the Constitution, and he authored the Bill of Rights, which enshrined the key liberty of press freedom.

Madison, the fourth U.S. president, correctly recognized the importance of a free press to a vibrant democracy. To celebrate his birthday, the Madison pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is declaring March 16 “Thank a Journalist Day.” We urge Madison-area residents to thank the journalists they know for doing the important work of providing information to the public.

SPJ will say its own thank you to local journalists by dropping off “I’m a Journalist” buttons to area newsrooms this week and by hosting a gathering at Tipsy Cow, 102 King St., Madison, on Thursday, March 15, at 7 pm. All journalists are welcome, and buttons will be available.

“It’s been a remarkable year in journalism in Madison and in Wisconsin. The Society of Professional Journalists believes it is proper to thank and recognize the work of journalists who are a vital component of our democracy,” said SPJ President Mark Pitsch.

Thank a Journalist Day comes during Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of open government and freedom of information, which coincides with the anniversary of Madison’s birth.

SPJ is also promoting the work of journalists through the use of the Twitter hashtag #thankajournalist all week.

Pitsch and other officers of the Madison pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will be available during Sunshine Week for interviews. Other SPJ officers are Joe Radske, vice president, 274-1234, Rebecca Wasieleski, secretary-treasurer, 920-568-8321, Gordon Govier, past president, 443-3688, Terry Shelton, past president, 338-5091.